Moms

by Shivani Sibal

English 264 pages 1 edition

‘ Moms is a searing and deeply unsettling novel that peels back the polished veneer of privilege, power and respectability with remarkable insight and emotional force. Courageous, provocative and profoundly moving.’ -Banu Mushtaq, International Booker Prize-winning author of Heart Lamp ‘Tender, sad and harrowing, Moms is a nuanced expose of the cynical goings-on of power, authority and submission, lurking darkly behind the seductive and sophisticated facade of haut monde.’ -Geetanjali Shree, International Booker Prize-winning author of Tomb of Sand A glamorous address, an immaculate home, a seemingly perfect family – Radhika Khanna appears to glide through Delhi society. Yet before dawn she is already on edge, coaxing her hair into place, weighing herself with dread, rehearsing the smile that keeps awkward questions at bay. When a confrontation at her daughter’s elite school turns Radhika from admired committee head to whispered cautionary tale, fissures spread through her meticulously managed world: fragile neighbourhood-mom alliances, an uneasy bond with her yoga teacher-friend and the carefully curated social media posts that mask an unbearable loneliness. As gala weekends and themed dinners hurtle towards a spectacular destination party in Rajasthan, Radhika is forced to pay the true price of her perfection. Emotionally compelling and sharply observed, Moms is a novel about motherhood, marriage and the distance between what life looks like on the outside and what it feels like on the inside.